1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a hammermill for comminuting material received therein having hammers presenting an arcuate striking profile or face. The hammers include a substantially cylindrical body and a striking head at the remote end thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of different devices rely on the use of hammers which are typically mounted on a rotor or reel and strike objects to be reduced in size. Such devices, broadly designated hammermills, are used in the mineral ore processing industry, the grain processing industry, and in many agricultural applications such as tub grinders and the like. The hammermills include a suitable drivetrain for rotating the rotor or reel to bring the hammers into engagement with the material to be comminuted or reduced. For example, railroad ties, lumber, ore, limbs, brush or other material are introduced into a chamber and then hit by the hammers of the hammermill to reduce the material in size. Once reduced to the desired size, the material passes out of the housing for subsequent use.
Prior hammermills have had hammers which present a square or flat face to accomplish this result. The size and type of material may dictate conditions such as speed, number of hammers, and horsepower necessary to power the apparatus. Two problems which have been particularly difficult to overcome have been the wear characteristics of the hammers and the amount of power or energy consumed during operation.
Because of the configuration of prior hammers, only a single striking profile is often presented, such that when the striking face becomes worn, the entire striking element must be replaced. Because of the tremendous shock applied to the hammer and the deformation of the striking element during use, the useful life of a hammer is an important consideration in hammer development and manufacture.
The other problem frequently encountered is the considerable amount of energy necessary to power the hammermill to attain a desired level of output. Because of the configuration of the striking element of prior art hammers used in hammermills, the hammers have had to crush and deform the material. When large and tough materials such as railroad ties are to be processed, horsepower and energy requirements have been high in order to break the ties into chips or the like.
There has thus developed a real need for an improved hammermill having a hammer design which will be durable, provide extended useful life, attain good material comminution, and reduce the energy consumption of the hammermill as a whole.